Or:la - UK Lonely

Or:la - UK Lonely
Deep chord progressions, lackadaisical shuffles, snatches of female vocals (just enough for a hook), house music's instant gratification with the cheek of garage and the headiness of dub—these were the things Hotflush once successfully plundered before techno became its focus. Those ideas make a welcome return on UK Lonely, the retro-futurist debut of Liverpool-based artist Or:la.

"UK Lonely" recalls Hotflush circa 2011, around the time dubstep and house music were learning to get along. It uses Erykah Badu's "On & On" to muscle into your subconscious, and it only burrows deeper with each play. Familiarity is its strength—you'll remember the track when the lights go up. "Limbosoup" is a light and limber UK funky number that flutters on gossamer wings, while "X & O" joins breakbeat and bloopy techno in deliberately off-kilter fashion, which puffs of female vocals go some way to smooth out. "Jaipur" is a beatless, primordial thing that's quite lovely despite its skeletal arrangement. Or:la's mercurial, feel-good bass music reminds us of a bygone era of Hotflush that thankfully hasn't disappeared completely.